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1960s Orange Glass Table Lamp

Materials: Orange “incamiciato” and white hand blown glass lampshade in 1 piece. Some small brass parts. Metal E27 socket.

Height: 30 cm / 11.81”

Width: ∅ 21 cm / 8.26”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 60 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1960s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: To be appraised.

Manufacturer: Massive, Mortsel, Kontich and Wommelgem, Belgium.

Other versions: This 1960s orange glass table lamp was at least also made in white.

Label on the bottom: Mass. Max. 60W. (Massimo Maximum 60 Watt). Massimo is the Italian word for maximum. Max. is used for every other language in Europe were Massive sold lights at that time. At Massive they were economical with the labels, they started using labels when the government had compelled them to do so. The first labels that became mandatory in Europe (EEC) were stickers that stated the maximum power of the light bulbs to be used. Later on Massive used the same round labels with the same font that says: Mass. Max. 60W., Made In Belgium and also a label exists with Massive Mass. Max. 60W., as you can see on the left.

The glass for this lamp is in all probability produced by Glasfabriek De Rupel, from Boom, Belgium. Massive equipped it with the electric parts. Massive sold many lamps with glass from this long gone company. Also the German Peill + Putzler made glass for Massive lamps.

These lamps are often attributed to Murano companies, but they are not. They are only made in a similar way.

Massive

Massive was in origin a bronze foundry and they produced mainly candlesticks, crucifixes and chandeliers in Wilrijk near Antwerp, Belgium. The company was founded in 1926 by Pieter-Jozef De Jaeck. His son Eddy De Jaeck was responsible for the huge expansion of the company in the 1970s. But it were his sons, Piet and Jan De Jaeck who made Massive a true multinational. Thus, they moved production to Eastern Europe and China.

In the 1980s Massive became the leading brand in Europe. In 2002, the brothers left the company to the investment fund CVC Capital Partners, for allegedly more than 250 million euros. Since 2008 the company is owned by Philips and the name of the shops is changed into Light Gallery.

When the takeover by Philips was announced in November 2006 Massive commercialised more than 10.000 lighting products under brand names such as MassiveTRIO and Lirio. The group had about 5.000 employees worldwide and was active in 70 countries.

Massive sold many lamps made by others. Peill + Putzler from Germany and Yamada Shomei from Japan produced lamps for Massive, to name a few. Many other lighting companies did.

Venini

Often said that this table lamp is a lamp designed by Massimo Vignelli for Venini, but it is not, of course. It barely has similarities with the Fungo table lamp and other designs by him, as you can see below: the middle one.

Ingo Maurer – Design M

Another orange table lamp is the ML 32 by the German Ingo Maurer. It is the first one on the right.

Incamiciato: This is a glass consisting of two superimposed layers of white (lattimo) glass and of coloured transparent glass.

1960s Orange Glass Table Lamp incamiciato Murano 1960s Massive MCM 1970s

Massimo Vignelli Orange Fungo Table Lamp Venini 1950s, 1960s Murano MCM incamiciato

Ingo Maurer, Design M, ML 32 Orange Glass Table Lamp, 1960s, 1970s, MCM, Germany